Given that the bicyclist is the slowest, least powerful and most
easily damaged user of the streets it would seem logical for the rider
to beware.

One would think :-)

Pedestrians? Even slower, less powerful and as easily damaged.

At least locally all bike paths and trails are shared with pedestrians
(even where there are separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists, at
least half the time the pedestrians are walking in the bike path segment
for some reason). Bike lanes in streets are generally not, but even
then a lot of adult cyclists ride on the sidewalks.

Yet to my observations neither cyclists nor pedestrians pay much mind to
what is going on around them. They seem to rely on the belief that the
rest of the world will just avoid them as they ignore traffic laws or
common sense.

Given that the bicyclist is the slowest, least powerful and most
easily damaged user of the streets it would seem logical for the rider
to beware.

One would think :-)

Pedestrians? Even slower, less powerful and as easily damaged.

Well, yes. Although I seldom see pedestrians "taking the lane" as
Frank advocates...

At least not while sober :-)
At least locally all bike paths and trails are shared with pedestrians
(even where there are separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists, at
least half the time the pedestrians are walking in the bike path segment
for some reason). Bike lanes in streets are generally not, but even
then a lot of adult cyclists ride on the sidewalks.

Yet to my observations neither cyclists nor pedestrians pay much mind to
what is going on around them. They seem to rely on the belief that the
rest of the world will just avoid them as they ignore traffic laws or
common sense.

Perhaps we should accept bicycle accidents as example of Darwin in
action :-)
--
Cheers,